Stocking or half hose and method of making the same



June 21, 1932. R. H. LAWSON ET AL I 1,363,719

STOCKING OR HALF HOSE AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed June 25, 1950 2 Sheets-Shee' t 1 RIB- -Hxq1-1 SPLICE DOUBLE- SOLE.v

INYENTDRS '7 June 21, 1932. H LAWSON ET AL V 1,863,719

STOCKING 0R HALF HOSE AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed June 25, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I JNVENTORsi R OBERTH LAWspM,

WILL 1AM L. SMITH-7k, 3)?0-7? Patented June 21, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT. OFF-ICE ROBERT H. LAWSON AND WILLIAM L. SMITH, JR., OF PAWTUCKET, RHODE ISLAND,

ASSIGNORS T HEMPHILL COMPANY, OF CENTRAL FALLS, RHODE ISLAND, .A. COR- PORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS STOCKING OR HALF HOSE AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Application filed June 25,

This invention relates to improvements in rib fabrics having reinforcements knit therein and particularly to rib stockings or half hose provided with high splices and double soles.

16. mental cutting mechanism for severing the hi h splice and double sole floats;

ig. 4 is a fragmentary view of the dial cap plate and latch ring and showing the high splice lever elevated and the splicing thread floating therefrom to the last high splice and double sole needle; and

Fig. 5 is a detail view of the auxiliary cutting mechanism.

The stocking or half hose is indicated gen erally by the numeral 1 and consists, preferably but not necessarily, of an all rib leg 2 of one and one rib although any other character of the rib knitting and proportion of rib and plain wales may be knit and be .within the scope of this invention. The rib wales 3 and plain wales 4 alternate throughout the rib portions of the stocking or other fabric and by alternate is meant any desired arrangements of rib and plain wales whether one and one rib, two and one rib or any other proportion of rib and plain wales. In other words wherever alternate or alternating appear in the following description or in the claims appended at the end thereof, they are not intended to limit the invention to one and one or other specific arrangements of rib and plain wales; and furthermore they are not intended to limit the invention to uniform rib throughout the rib portions of the fabric, but to cover as well one and one or other rib combined with two and one or other rib. A one and one rib or other instep 5 is, preferably but not necessarily, knit integrally with the instep portion of the leg and for convenience of looping may stop short of the 1930. Serial No. 463,763.

toe closing suture 6 leaving a few plain or ring toe courses 7 although if desired the ribbed instep may continue to the toe closingsuture. A reinforcement or high splice 8 extends from the heel 9 to a desired distance thereabove, and a" second reinforcement or double sole 10 extends from the heel 9 to the toe 11 or to the ring toe 7 which in turn is connected during knitting to a toe 11.

The high splice and double sole reinforcements consist of at least one additional or reinforcing thread which is knit in with the body thread by one-half, more or less, of the plain needles in a manner hereinafter to be more fully described.

The operation of knitting a reinforcing high splice and/or double sole will now be described. Knitting may begin at the top or the toe andin either case the stockings or half hose may be knit as string workor may becast off separately. For the purpose of this description, assuming the stocking or half hose to be knit as string work and the butt cylinder needles and by reciprocations of the needle cylinder or other needle carrier. At the completion of the knitting of the toe 11 circular knitting is resumed and the ring toe 7 is knit upon all the plain needles 12 alone. After the desired number of plain circular courses for the ring toe 7 have been knit certain of the rib needles 15 are moved to knitting position and they, in conjunction with the plain or cylinder needles 12, knit the ribbed instep 5 and double sole 10. The heel 9 is next knit in any desired manner after which the plain and some of the rib needles knit the high splice 8 and rib por-' tions of the leg opposite thereto, and thereafter all the rib and plain needles knit the all ribbed leg 2.

Durin the knitting of the high splice 8 and don le sole 10, and, if desired, during the knitting of the ring toe 7, the body thread 13 and at least one reinforcing thread or yarn 16 are fed to and knit in by the desired number of plain needles and for partial courses only, while the body thread 13 alone is knit in by the plain and rib instep needles, the reinforcing thread 16, not being knit'in by' the instep needles but floating across the needle circle from the last wale where it is knit in during the knitting of one half course to the first wale where it is knit in during the knitting of a succeeding course.

An important feature of the present invention resides in knitting a high splice and donble sole and simultaneously therewith knitting a rib leg opposite the high splice and a rib instep opposite the double sole. In terms of the method herein described the novelty consists in controlling the cylinder and dial needles on the instep half or portion of the dial and cylinder to knit one and one or other rib with at least one body thread and at the same time or simultaneously therewith, i. e., during the knitting of each high splice and double sole course controlling the cylinder needles only on the other half or portion of the cylinder to knit the body thread or threads and at least one splicing thread which latter is, preferably but not necessarily, severed once during each course by mechanism hereinafter to be described.

The reinforcing or splicing thread is, as hereinbefore stated, knit in by one-half more or less of the needles, usually the short butt needles. The high splicing thread guide 17 which feeds thread 16 to the needles, is lowered to and raisedfrom feeding position once each course throughout the knitting of the high splice and double sole.

The raising of the thread guide 17 each half course of knitting is necessary in order to prevent the following dial needles from catching the high splice thread and knitting in the same together with the body yarn, and furthermore unless the lever 17 is maintained in an elevated position while the instep dial and cylinder needles are knitting in the body thread or threads the reinforcing thread will not pass above the dial cap and between the shearing blades hereinafter to be described.

- The raising of the thread guide. 17 immediately after the last high splice and double sole needle has engaged the said reinforcing thread in its hook also prevents the following instep cylinder and dial needles from knitting in the said reinforcing thread together with the bodythread, which is not desired. A dividing cam may be, and preferably is, used to raise the short butt needles and cause them to move past the mouthpiece at a level slightly above that along which the others or long butt needles move past the said mouthpiece. Thus by dividing the needles as described the shortbutt needles take thread passing through the thread guide 17 which is provided with a porcelain or other eye 18 positioned slightly above the feeding levels of the body thread 13 which is fed to the needles through the thread lever 14/ The hereinbefore described movements of the lever 17 to thread feeding position are timed to occur, during each course of the knitting of the high splice and double sole, just before the leading short butt needles arrive at the mouthpiece 19, and the said thread guide 17 is elevated at the completion of each half course of knitting immediately after the .last high splice and double sole needle has taken the thread 16. Continued rotation of the said last high splice and double sole needle 20 from the position shown in Fig. 4

to that shown in Fig. 3 carries the thread 16 around with it in the direction of the arrow; Fig. 3, in which last named position the float of thread 16 leads'from the first high splice and double sole needle 21, about to take thread for a new half course, through an opening provided by the fork ends of clamp 2.6 and alower cutting edge 30 of the finger 27.

The floats of thread 16 are severed, each partial course during the knitting of the high splice and double sole, just after the leading high splice and double sole needles have engaged the reinforcing thread in their hooks but before the said thread has actual 1y been knit in the fabric and during the interval between the severing of the floats and until the reinforcing thread is actually knit in the fabric the'clamp 23 lightly tensions the reinforcing thread sufficiently to permit the short butt needles to knit in the said thread. v

- It is desirable that the floats be severed closely adjacent to the last high splice and double scle needle, indicated by the numeral 20, Fig. 3, and not adjacent to the first or leading high splice and double sole needle indicated by the numeral 21, Fig. 3. If cut adjacent the last named needle long floats will result which floats will thereafter be laid between the rib and plain wales during they Will not be so readily removable as are %h e short floats indicated by dotted lines,

In Fig. 2 is shown, in full lines, the position of a float of the reinforcing thread 16 at the time it is severed. Immediately thereafter the short end of the severed float of thread is engaged by a suitable brush (not shown) and laid flat against the wales and in such a position that it is caught between adjacent rib and plain wales, but not knit in by any of the needles, during the knitting of the following course as indicated in dotted lines. During the same course of knitting the lon float of the thread 16 is likewise engager? by the mentioned brush and caused to assume the approximate position indicated by dotted lines in said Fig. 2. v

The long floats are subsequently cut out and removed from the stocking or half hose and the short floats temporarily held between a few rib and plain wales, as they are not knit in, are readily pulled out from between the said few rib and plain wales, although they may be retained between the rib and plain wales in the completed stocking or half hose if desired.

When the reinforcing guide 17 ismoved to feeding position adjacent the needles the first high splice and double sole needle engages the reinforcing thread 16 in its hook and continued rotation of the needle cylinder causes the said thread to be carried around in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 3, to aposition where the float enters between the forked shaped arms of the clamp 22 and raises a pivoted catch or thread float retaining finger (not shown). The said float is thus held or confined by the said catch until the first high splice and double sole needle moves well past the clamp 22 whereupon the resultant pull upon the severed float draws the said float across and free of the binder plate or dial cap 33 substantially radially and in the direction of the mouthpiece 19.

Instead of the finger for engaging the thread floats described in the preceding paragraph a pin or other suitable means (not shown) may be carried by the dial cap 33 between the mouthpiece and the clamp 22 in which case continued rotation of the first high splice and double sole needle causes the thread float to wrap around the said pin and finally to be drawn across the dial cap and in the direction of the mouthpiece, the pin functioning in substantially the same manner as described in connection with the op eration of the thread float retaining finger.

Whether a pivoted float retaining finger is carried by the clamp 22 or a pin is mounted upon the dial cap 22 the long floats of the thread 16 are pulled or drawn across the dial cap 33 in the direction of the mouthpiece 19 and are thereby laid against or adjacent to the backs of the reinforced wales. Thereafter upon continued rotation of the needle cylinder the brush hereinbefore referred to engages the long floats and forces them down and into engagement with the backs of the wales which constitute the plain or reinforced portions of the high splice and double sole. In other words the float thread retaining finger or pin on the one hand and the brush on the other hand, although either alone will serve the purpose, each serves to supplement the action of the other in that the finger or pin initially directs the long floats to a position adjacent the plain, reinforced wales of the high splice and double sole and thereafter the brush causes the said floats to engage and be frictionally retained by the backs of the wales constituting the high splice and double sole.

The controlling of the long floats, as hereinbefore described', prevents the same from being wrapped around parts of the clamping and cutting mechanism mounted upon the dial cap 33 which would interfere with the proper operation of the said mechanism.

The automatic means for timing and controlling the movements of the cutting plate 28 form no necessary part of the present invention and will not be described in detail. However, the plate 26 is retained, by means of a pin. or rivet 31, within a recess 32 provided in the upper face of dial cap 33, and the plate 28, which is slidably mounted within said recess 31, is provided with a pin or screw 34 upstanding therefrom and passing through an elongated slot 35 in a link or lever arm 36. Through the other end of the link or lever arm 36 passes a pin or screw 37 which also passes through a supplemental link or lever arm 38 and into the dial cap 33. A

spring 39 coiled about pin 34 bears, at one ,ly or otherwise connected to a s1eeve40 mounted for rotary movements upon the aforesaid pin 37 and said sleeve 40 is retained at its lower end against the upper face of the dial 33 by means of a collar 41 made fast to the pin or screw 37 by means such as a set screw 42. The lever arm or link 38, shown broken away in Fig. 3, is automatically controlled in any suitable manner whereby the radial or other movements of the plate 28 may be auto-' matically timed and controlled so that floats ofthe thread 16 will be severed once during each course of knitting of the high splice and double sole.

Although'in the foregoing description reference has been made to a dial and cylinder and to rotary movements thereof, the invention is in nowise limited to the particular type of machine employed but the stocking or other fabric may be knit upon any suitable type of circular or other knitting machine.

Claims:

1. A method of knitting consisting'in feeding at least one thread to two sets of needles and simultaneously therewith feeding at 5 least one additional thread to a portion only of one of the said sets of needles, withdrawing the last named thread or threads from feeding relation with the needles and severing the additional thread'while knittin I 2. A method of knitting consisting in flieding at least one thread to two sets ofneedles to knit rib fabric, feeding at least one additional thread for partial courses to a portion only ofthe plain needles, withdrawing the last named thread or threads from feeding relation with the needles during the knitting of each of several courses and severing the additional thread while knitting.

3. A method of knitting consisting in feeding at least one thread to a set of rib needles and to a set of plain needles, feeding at least one additional thread to a portion only of the plain needles, floating the thread or threads last mentioned and severing the floats while knitting.

4. A method of knitting consisting in feeding at least one thread to all of the plain needles and to some at least of the rib needles of a ribknitting machine and at least one 39 other thread to some of the plain needles only, floating the last named thread and severing the floats adjacent one end thereof, laying the resulting short floats between rib and plain wales during the knitting of a subsequent course and in such a manner that the said short floats may be readily pulled out from between the said rib and plain wales.

5. The steps of knitting adjacent courses of partly rib and partly plain,'circular fabric and including the knitting in of at least one reinforcing thread throughout the plain portion of the fabric only, floating the thread and then during the knitting of courses severing the floats near the 'last reinforced wale.

6. A method of knitting consisting in feeding at least one thread to two sets of needles and simultaneously therewith feeding at least one additional thread to some of the needles of one set of needles, severing the said additional thread at least once during the knitting of each course in which the additional thread is fed to some of the needles.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures.

ROBERT H. LAWSON. WILLIAM L SMITH, JR. 

